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I grew up in a family that believed you store your treasures in heaven and earthly possessions wind up owning you. Materialism scares me. I am a child of the 80s so I remember the excessive lifestyles that were promoted. I remember the mantra, "Greed is good." I am in awe that my parents were able to keep me from becoming a greedy, materialistic Madonna want to be.
Or maybe I did want to be Madonna, The Madonna. I went through a phase in which I decided I would become a nun after I graduated college. I enjoyed my Catholic upbringing. My parents are very devout Catholics and because we did missionary work we traveled to India often. Our travels caused us to examine the Hindu and Buddhist faiths. Ultimately we became what we call Zen Catholics.

What exactly is a Zen Catholic? We pray throughout the day hoping that this will lead to enlightenment. The Jesus prayer: Lord Jesus, son of God, have mercy on me, a miserable sinner is the prayer we recite most often. The Lord's prayer, Hail Mary, and Glory Be are also popular with us. I keep a rosary key-chain in my pocket to help me concentrate as I recite my prayers.
The rosary key-chain is an ironic thing that I own. I bought it in the gift shop at a shrine for the Virgin Mary in the Texas Valley. How funny is that? In church they tell you not to be materialistic. That things rust and turn to dust. Then they have a gift shop full of glow in the dark crucifixes and velvet paintings of The Last Supper. The mixed message confuses me but I choose to simply let it be. I suppose the kitschy knick knacks help the church to raise money.
Materialistic people never have enough. They are never satisfied. I want things just like any other person. I will have to buy a new television soon because the only one I own is an analog set. I have seriously considered just giving it up, however. Watching television usually just informs my children that they need more things. My children are kind and giving, don't get me wrong. My daughter keeps giving her coat away to girls who don't have one so I have to keep buying her new ones. Thank goodness we live in Houston and the weather is rarely that cold.
In her mind there is some kind of chalk board up in heaven and God keeps a tally of all the good things you've done. She gave her coat away so doesn't that mean she deserves a new this, that, or the other? She is a material girl, living in a material world. One day she'll get it...perhaps a trip to India will do the trick.

Learn more about this author, Jessica Manchester.
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